Want to Add Instant Glam to Any Piece of Furniture You Own? Here’s How to Use Gilt Gold..All on Your Own!

Applying a gold finish or gilding is another option to restore your wooden furniture. This process can be added to ornate carvings or carved mirror and picture frames on furniture to create a special look. The traditional gilding method is gold-leafing, done with thin sheets of gold foil. Gold leaf is beautiful and durable, but it’s also very expensive. Bronzing, a more recent gilding technique, is done with powdered gold, either mixed into a vehicle or applied directly. It may fade with time, however. Bronze powder is made in gold, silver, bronze, copper, and colors; it is often used for stencils on furniture.

The easiest way to apply gold is wax gilding. Wax gilt is a paste, made in gold, silver, bronze, copper, and colors and sold at craft and art supply stores. It’s inexpensive and looks very much like gold leaf. For moldings or small-area highlighting, wax gilt is the best choice. Use it over gold leaf paint for the best results.

Application Techniques
A surface to be gilded must be clean. Remove all wax and dirt. If you’re working on a picture frame, clean the surface very gently with a damp cloth, and let it dry thoroughly.

For the deepest gold effect, paint the area to be gilded with liquid gold leaf paint, using a 1/2-inch brush. Let the paint dry completely, about 30 minutes, and then apply the wax gilt.

To apply the gilt, dip an artists’ brush or a piece of soft cloth into turpentine and then into the gilt; if the gilt is in a tube, squeeze a little out so it’s easier to work with.

Wax gilt is thick; apply it sparingly, smoothing it on. Press gently as you work, smoothing or brushing back and forth, to bring out the sheen of the gold.

When the entire surface is covered, let the gilt set for about an hour; then carefully buff the surface, in one direction only, with a soft cloth. The buffing distributes and highlights the gilt. No surface protection or further finishing is necessary.

You can also stencil furniture, which is an extremely easy DIY project. Stenciling is a quick and easy way of adding style to wooden furniture. The key is choosing the stenciling method that fits your piece best. Whether you want art deco or , a drawing or a child’s name, stencils are an almost foolproof way of decorating your furniture.

Stencils can be applied over any finish. They are easiest to work with when used over varnish that’s still slightly tacky. When the surface to be decorated is completely dry, the stencil must be very carefully attached so that the edges of the design don’t blur. Use paint for informal designs, bronze powder (gold, silver, bronze, copper, or colors) for a more formal effect.

Another great technique is adding stripes is another quick and easy way to style and decorate wooden furniture. Painting edge stripes on enameled or antiqued furniture can add distinction to flat surfaces; use one thin border stripe or paint multiple stripes or geometric borders.

Tabletops, chair seats, and similar areas are good candidates for striping, but any flat surface can be decorated with stripes. Use high-gloss or semigloss enamel, slightly thinned; make sure it’s compatible with the existing finish.

2 thoughts on “Want to Add Instant Glam to Any Piece of Furniture You Own? Here’s How to Use Gilt Gold..All on Your Own!”

Gilding gold pieces is So much fun. You don’t have to limit it to furniture. You really can gild anything. Picture frames usually turn out amazing! Have fun with it!! You can usually find gold leaf at Michaels. It isn’t really cheap no matter where you buy it, but Michael’s is probably your best bet concerning price. Also check out Amazon.